The Conselleria de Sanidad Universal y Salud Pública is going to distribute a total of 250.000 doses of antigen test to diagnose COVID-19 quickly (in fifteen minutes) both to the Hospital Emergency Services and to the area of Primary Care of the health departments.
By provinces, Castellón will have a total of 30.500 doses, Valencia with 128.000 doses and Alicante with 89.000 doses. Likewise, the Special Emergency Service and the Transfusion Center of the Valencian Community will have a total of 2.500 doses.
The Ministry of Health has given the green light to these rapid antigen detection tests precisely through the latest "Strategy for the early detection, surveillance and control of COVID-19".
In it, it specifies that currently there are two active infection detection tests, a rapid antigen detection test and a viral RNA detection using PCR or equivalent molecular technique. The performance of one or the other will depend on the scope, availability and days of evolution of symptoms.
Thus, the rapid antigen detection test will be used for any suspected case with an evolution of symptoms of less than 5 days, while PCR will continue to be performed for contacts, both in the field of Primary Care and in the Emergency Services hospitable.
Another novelty in the new strategy of the Ministry refers to the moment of carrying out the PCR to the contacts that, for non-cohabitants and in the case of special situations (outbreaks, educational centers, etc.), will be carried out on the seventh day of the quarantine.
